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Islamabad, June 14, 2013 (PPI-OT): The first ever Provincial Employment Trends report is launched in Punjab by Mr Raja Ashfaq Sarwar, Minister of Labour and Human Resource Department Punjab. The Punjab Employment Trends Report 2013 provides a broad assessment of the labour market situation in Punjab. Key findings of the report show that economically active population or labour force in the province was 34.36 million in 2010-11 up from 30.67 million in 2007-08, showing an annual average growth of 4 percent during this three year period.
Only 9.46 million females were in the labour force compared to 24.9 million males in 2010-11. 65% of the total population falls in working age from the rural areas of Punjab, whereas more than 70 % of the non-agricultural employment in the province falls in the informal sector.
The Minister lauded the technical assistance of the International Labour Organization (ILO). “By analysing the labour markets intensively decision makers can reduce unemployment, support vulnerable workers, promote youth development, eliminate wastage and develop responsive education and training systems.
The Government of Punjab is fully dedicated to labour welfare and will ensure that a pool of talented workforce is created through human resource development which is only possible if the future market needs are assessed when designing interventions”.
“The unemployment rate increased marginally, both in the population aged 10 years and above as well as 15 years and over, during the period 2007-08 to 2010-11. The change in the age structure of the labour force due to the on-going demographic transition in the country has resulted in a “youth bulge”. Most of this youth has little or no vocational and life skills, there is a need to provide for their health, education, and livelihood, and to engage them in activities which convert their latent energy into positive outcomes for the family, community, state and the global community”, remarked Mr Francesco d’ Ovidio, Country Director ILO. He said three key areas require attention from relevant stakeholders; youth employment, gender gaps in employment and adult training also reassured ILO’s commitment to provide technical assistance to achieve shared goal of decent work for all.
On the same event, a website on Labour Market Information and Labour Inspection has also been launched by the Labour Department, Government of Punjab. The portal is a one stop information base about occupations and labour market trends and outlooks, including skill or labour shortages and surpluses, and statistics on unemployment rates and the working-age population. Speaking on the occasion, Capt. (R) Muhammad Yousaf, Secretary, Department of Labour Punjab, acknowledged the need for updated labour market information for effective employment policies and appreciated ILO’s support in computerizing labour inspection system. He said these were revolutionary steps and Punjab is pioneering this initiative.
“This will help us to serve the mandate of the people of Punjab that they have vested in the Government” he said. Mr. Ahmed Husnain, Representative, Employers Federation of Pakistan shared that the industry needs to be closely engaged in analysing market trends so that informed decisions are made about upgrading their employees’ skills. Mr. Mukhtar, Representative, Pakistan Workers Federation stressed on the importance of labour market trends that can help job seekers find decent work opportunities and the power to negotiate decent wage that commensurate their skills levels and job requirement.
Ms. Umber Afzal Chattha, Deputy Secretary, Lahore Chamber of Commerce and Industries; Waqas Ikram, Representative, Sialkot Chamber of Commerce and Industries and Mr. Talat Mehmood, Representative, Faisalabad Chamber of Commerce and Industries also shared their stance on the importance of Labour Market Information and its usefulness in increasing workers’ productivity.
For more information, contact:
Mr. Muhammad Saifullah Chaudhry,
Senior Programme Officer, ILO
International Labour Organization (ILO)
Islamabad
Tel: 051-2276456-58
Email: msaif@ilo.org